Published: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 10:40 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 10:40 p.m.

SARASOTA - With Imagine School at North Port's future so muddied, school board members worry that a legal fight over control of the school will hurt the district's pocketbook.

The Sarasota County School Board already is planning its budget for the next school year.

If a swath of parents, angered by a lawsuit's pending results, pull their children out of Imagine, that could significantly disrupt the district's spending plan. Some board members also worried about the personal nature of the fight.

“There is a concern in my mind when a school becomes a principal,” said board member Shirley Brown, referring to the apparently strong loyalty among many parents for Imagine's embattled leader, Justin Matthews. “We're kind of on the outside, but we do have a dog in the fight. Whatever happens in the courts is going to impact our budget next year, one way or another.”

The North Port school — the largest charter in the district — gets about $8 million annually in public dollars, including $1.05 million from the county's 1-mill school property tax and $466,781 from its 1.5-mill capital funding, said deputy chief financial officer Al Weidner. A mill is a property tax levy of $1 for every $1,000 of a home or parcel's assessed value.

Tuesday's meeting was the school board's first since the high-profile struggle began over Imagine, which has about 1,100 students from pre-kindergarten to 10th grade on two campuses off Toledo Blade Boulevard in North Port.

The board voted 4-0 to allow its attorney to intervene on its behalf in the civil lawsuit between parent company Imagine Schools and the North Port charter school.

The legal battle started when the charter's local board voted on Feb. 15 to break off from its Arlington, Va.-based parent company. Four days later, Imagine Schools sued Matthews and the board on nine civil counts, including breach of contract and defamation.

Last week, a judge ruled Matthews and his original board can remain in control, at least until May 31 when school ends.

Circuit Judge Charles Williams also has ordered the two sides to mediation.

Tuesday's meeting was attended by about 70 Imagine School parents and children dressed in school colors or handmade T-shirts, many carrying signs in support of Matthews. The discussion lasted an hour, with the majority of speakers voicing their support for Matthews.

“I respect him and he respects his students,” said Stephen Hudek, 50, of North Port, who has a fourth-grader at the school. “He's the most awesome individual you'd ever want with your kids.”

Some parents threatened to pull their children from Imagine if Matthews lost his job. They pleaded for the board to help them remain an independently run school.

But four Imagine corporate leaders and one teacher criticized Matthews and the local board for what they called a blindsided takeover of the charter school behind closed doors.

“Mr. Matthews is a popular principal who will remember a parent's name in the car line. And Imagine Inc., is an easy corporate target,” said teacher J.J. Andrews, adding Matthews has created a stressful environment for the staff at Imagine. “But this is not a popularity contest.”

Several school board members said they wanted to step back and let the dispute play out in the court system, where the next hearing is scheduled for March 18.

“I'm not an expert in contractual law nor do I want to be,” said school board member Frank Kovach.

The school board has little oversight when it comes to a charter school — an entity specifically set up to run fairly independently from the traditional Florida educational structure, said Art Hardy, the board's attorney.

“This is not as if there is a problem at Sarasota High School or Southside Elementary,” he said.

District officials do not have a say in who Imagine's principal is or which local governing board has control of the charter school.

While the litigation continues, the district's main concerns are that classes are not disrupted and that the charter contract with the board is not violated — regardless of who is running Imagine, Hardy said.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - With Imagine School at North Port's future so muddied, school board members worry that a legal fight over control of the school will hurt the district's pocketbook.</p><p>The Sarasota County School Board already is planning its budget for the next school year.</p><p>If a swath of parents, angered by a lawsuit's pending results, pull their children out of Imagine, that could significantly disrupt the district's spending plan. Some board members also worried about the personal nature of the fight.</p><p>“There is a concern in my mind when a school becomes a principal,” said board member Shirley Brown, referring to the apparently strong loyalty among many parents for Imagine's embattled leader, Justin Matthews. “We're kind of on the outside, but we do have a dog in the fight. Whatever happens in the courts is going to impact our budget next year, one way or another.”</p><p>The North Port school — the largest charter in the district — gets about $8 million annually in public dollars, including $1.05 million from the county's 1-mill school property tax and $466,781 from its 1.5-mill capital funding, said deputy chief financial officer Al Weidner. A mill is a property tax levy of $1 for every $1,000 of a home or parcel's assessed value.</p><p>Tuesday's meeting was the school board's first since the high-profile struggle began over Imagine, which has about 1,100 students from pre-kindergarten to 10th grade on two campuses off Toledo Blade Boulevard in North Port.</p><p>The board voted 4-0 to allow its attorney to intervene on its behalf in the civil lawsuit between parent company Imagine Schools and the North Port charter school.</p><p>The legal battle started when the charter's local board voted on Feb. 15 to break off from its Arlington, Va.-based parent company. Four days later, Imagine Schools sued Matthews and the board on nine civil counts, including breach of contract and defamation.</p><p>Last week, a judge ruled Matthews and his original board can remain in control, at least until May 31 when school ends.</p><p>Circuit Judge Charles Williams also has ordered the two sides to mediation.</p><p>Tuesday's meeting was attended by about 70 Imagine School parents and children dressed in school colors or handmade T-shirts, many carrying signs in support of Matthews. The discussion lasted an hour, with the majority of speakers voicing their support for Matthews.</p><p>“I respect him and he respects his students,” said Stephen Hudek, 50, of North Port, who has a fourth-grader at the school. “He's the most awesome individual you'd ever want with your kids.”</p><p>Some parents threatened to pull their children from Imagine if Matthews lost his job. They pleaded for the board to help them remain an independently run school.</p><p>But four Imagine corporate leaders and one teacher criticized Matthews and the local board for what they called a blindsided takeover of the charter school behind closed doors.</p><p>“Mr. Matthews is a popular principal who will remember a parent's name in the car line. And Imagine Inc., is an easy corporate target,” said teacher J.J. Andrews, adding Matthews has created a stressful environment for the staff at Imagine. “But this is not a popularity contest.”</p><p>Several school board members said they wanted to step back and let the dispute play out in the court system, where the next hearing is scheduled for March 18.</p><p>“I'm not an expert in contractual law nor do I want to be,” said school board member Frank Kovach.</p><p>The school board has little oversight when it comes to a charter school — an entity specifically set up to run fairly independently from the traditional Florida educational structure, said Art Hardy, the board's attorney.</p><p>“This is not as if there is a problem at Sarasota High School or Southside Elementary,” he said.</p><p>District officials do not have a say in who Imagine's principal is or which local governing board has control of the charter school.</p><p>While the litigation continues, the district's main concerns are that classes are not disrupted and that the charter contract with the board is not violated — regardless of who is running Imagine, Hardy said. </p><p>So far, he said, neither appears to be happening.</p>